Book Image

Mastering Windows Group Policy

By : Jordan Krause
5 (1)
Book Image

Mastering Windows Group Policy

5 (1)
By: Jordan Krause

Overview of this book

This book begins with a discussion of the core material any administrator needs to know in order to start working with Group Policy. Moving on, we will also walk through the process of building a lab environment to start testing Group Policy today. Next we will explore the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) and start using the powerful features available for us within that interface. Once you are well versed with using GPMC, you will learn to perform and manage the traditional core tasks inside Group Policy. Included in the book are many examples and walk-throughs of the different filtering options available for the application of Group Policy settings, as this is the real power that Group Policy holds within your network. You will also learn how you can use Group Policy to secure your Active Directory environment, and also understand how Group Policy preferences are different than policies, with the help of real-world examples. Finally we will spend some time on maintenance and troubleshooting common Group Policy-related issues so that you, as a directory administrator, will understand the diagnosing process for policy settings. By the end of the book, you will be able to jump right in and use Group Policy to its full potential.
Table of Contents (12 chapters)

Summary

This chapter was all about Group Policy preferences, which have some considerable differences when compared to traditional Policies inside GP. Understanding the differences between Policies and Preferences will certainly enhance your administrative capabilities of Active Directory and Group Policy within your own network. We had a little bit of fun with CRUD, then moved on to Kindergarten coloring class by learning the differences between green and red as we discussed the color-coded underlines and circles that show up all over Group Policy Preference packages. We also covered all five available options inside the Common tab, which are common to pretty much any Preference that you may choose to employ. Wrapping up, we walked through some real-world examples of Preference settings that you can start using today to enhance the security and usability of your domain-joined...